Total hip arthroplasty is often used to restore function to a diseased or injured hip joint. Positions and directions relative to the hip joint may be described in terms of proximal being nearer the hip joint, distal being further from the hip joint, anterior being nearer the front of the body, posterior being nearer the back of the body, medial being nearer the centerline of the body, and lateral being further from the center line of the body. In total hip arthroplasty, the surfaces of the femur and pelvis are cut away and replaced with substitute implants. In a typical case, the implants include a hip stem component, a femoral head component, and an acetabular component.
The femoral bone is prepared by creating an opening down the intramedullary canal into the femoral bone along an axis from a proximal position at the upper end of the femur toward a distal position at the lower end of the femur. The pelvis is prepared by reaming the acetabulum. The implants may be placed directly in contact with the prepared bone surfaces for bony fixation of the implant. Alternatively, bone cement may be introduced into the prepared canal and acetabulum so that it hardens around and locks the components in place.
The hip stem component includes a stem portion extending down into the intramedullary canal of the femur and a neck portion extending away from the femur to support the femoral head component.
A recent development is the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques in which the bone is prepared and the implants inserted through small incisions that cause less trauma to surrounding muscles and other soft tissues such that the patients recovery is faster. Such minimally invasive surgical techniques can be challenging due to the difficulty in visualizing the surgical cavity and maneuvering the instruments and implants within the tight confines of the incision.